1. Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic control modules of a motor vehicle, and more particularly to an electronic control module interface system.
2. Description of Related Art
Demand for user friendly motor vehicle control systems continues to grow, driven primarily by consumers who enjoy adjusting various functions of the motor vehicle while driving. For example, a driver may like to adjust the air conditioning temperature, ventilation mode, and/or radio channels while he/she is operating the motor vehicle. However, typical motor vehicles may only have a limited amount of space allocated for the control panel, on which various buttons or dials for controlling various functions of the motor vehicle may be located. As such, these buttons or dials may each have a surface area that is normally less than one square inch, and the symbol printed thereon may have a relatively small size. Therefore, the functions represented by the symbols may be difficult to observe or see.
The driver operating the motor vehicle may usually pay most of his/her attention on the conditions of the road, such that he/she may only use his/her peripheral vision to glance at the symbols for a really short period of time. As such, the information conveyed by the small size symbols may be difficult for the driver to observe and ascertain. The difficulty of observing and ascertaining the content of the symbols may be escalated when the driver has weak eye sight, or when the driver is operating the motor vehicle at night.
Thus, there is a need for an electronic control module interface (ECMI) system that may help reduce a driver's attention span required for observing and ascertaining the function of the buttons located on the control panel of the motor vehicle.